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Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Music
Hard Rock/Heavy metal is a vast genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and The United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion and overdrive, long guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall intense volume. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo. Heavy metal music became popular as a counterculture movement of the youth during a time of civil unrest over The Cold War, Vietnam War, etc. The first heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple attracted large audiences. In the mid-1970s Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal such as Iron Maiden followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as "metalheads" or "headbangers". In the 1980s, glam metal became a major commercial force with groups like Mötley Crüe and Poison. Underground scenes produced an array of more extreme, aggressive styles: thrash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, while other styles like death metal and black metal remain subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles such as Nu metal, which often incorporates elements of grunge and hip hop; and metalcore, which blends extreme metal with hardcore punk, have further expanded the definition of the genre. Heavy Metal music has lost commercial popularity in the 21st century but notable bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage have experienced success. 'Characteristics' Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes. The typical band lineup includes a drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist, and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Keyboard instruments are sometimes used to enhance the fullness of the sound. The electric guitar and the sonic power that it projects through amplification has historically been the key element in heavy metal. The lead role of the guitar in heavy metal often collides with the traditional frontman or bandleader role of the vocalist, creating a musical tension as the two contend for dominance in a spirit of affectionate rivalry. Reflecting metal's roots in the 1960s counterculture, an explicit display of emotion is required from the vocals as a sign of authenticity. Metal vocals vary widely in style, from the multioctave, theatrical approach of Judas Priest's Rob Halford and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, to the gruff style of Motörhead's Lemmy and Metallica's James Hetfield, to the growling of many death metal performers, and to the harsh screams of black metal. The prominent role of the bass is also key to the metal sound, and the interplay of bass and guitar is a central element. The bass guitar provides the low-end sound crucial to making the music "heavy". Metal basslines vary widely in complexity, from holding down a low pedal point as a foundation to doubling complex riffs and licks along with the lead and/or rhythm guitars. Some bands feature the bass as a lead instrument, an approach popularized by Metallica's Cliff Burton in the early 1980s. The essence of metal drumming is creating a loud, constant beat for the band using the trifecta of speed, power, and precision. Metal drumming requires an exceptional amount of endurance, and drummers have to develop considerable speed, coordination, and dexterity...to play the intricate patterns used in metal. A characteristic metal drumming technique is the cymbal choke, which consists of striking a cymbal and then immediately silencing it by grabbing it with the other hand (or, in some cases, the same striking hand), producing a burst of sound. The metal drum setup is generally much larger than those employed in other forms of rock music. Virtuoso Virtuoso guitar music became a term to describe early guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Michael Shenker, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddy Van Halen. In the 80's, virtuoso guitarists became a genre unto themselves. Bands with musicians such as George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Morse became known as virtuoso bands. Individuals such as Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Buckethead, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Eric Johnson launched successful solo careers as "virtuoso guitarists". Although classified as Hard Rock, Virtuoso guitar started to incorporate more classical, latina inspired music to Heavy Metal. These Musicians inspired most of the Heavy Genres of the new millenium such as Metalcore and Emotional Rock. By Brandon Aukamp